BOSTON — The Boston Bruins took the TD Banknorth Garden ice led by Manny Fernandez, who’ll get the start in net tonight against his former team the Minnesota Wild.

Defenseman Matt Lashoff and forward Petteri Nokelainen are both on the ice, while defenseman Aaron Ward is not. Lashoff has been a healthy scratch the last four games, while Nokelainen has missed the last 10 games with an upper-body injury. UPDATE:Martin St. Pierre still warmed up as the Bruins’ fourth-line center flanked by Vladimir Sobotka and Shawn Thornton.

BOSTON — Tonight will mark the first-ever NHL game for Minnesota forward Krys Kolanos back in Boston.

The former Boston College star scored the game-winning overtime goal for the Eagles in the 2001 NCAA championship game. And tonight he’ll get to square off with his former Eagles linemate Chuck Kobasew when the Wild visit the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden.

“It’s giving me a chill right now just thinking about it,” Kolanos told thebruinsblog.net after his team’s morning skate. “He’s my old linemate and we had a great year there together, nine years ago or whatever. So it’s special to be back here.”

Kolanos enjoyed two solid years at BC before he turned pro. His NHL career, however, has been a roller coaster. He was a first-round draft pick of Phoenix in 2000, but he’s struggled to live up to those early expectations, particularly in light of a concussion-causing hit he took from Vaclav Varada in ’02. (more…)

Bruce Garrioch in the Ottawa Sun quoted the veteran Swede as saying: “I don’t know when it started last year, but it’s not something that I believe a new coach coming in and changing everything (is going to change anything).”

Alfredsson’s words obviously hold more value because of his longevity and stature with the team. Ottawa will be at TD Banknorth Garden Thursday for a battle with the Boston Bruins, with a reverse in roles because in recent seasons the Sens have usually gone into games with Boston heavily favored and near the top of the league.

MK: Hard to believe the front office will listen to Alfredsson if things continue on their downward spiral. In fact, the front office is a prime candidate for the shake-up. But you have to give Alfredsson credit for his attempt to rally the troops and hold him and his teammate accountable.

BOSTON — Center Martin St. Pierre today was named to the Canadian AHL All-Star Team for the AHL All-Star Game scheduled for Jan. 26 in Worcester.

While a fine honor, it’s not exactly the prize St. Pierre wants for his recent strong play. He obviously wants to stick with the Boston Bruins beyond his current emergency recall, which will end once fellow forward Petteri Nokelainen is healthy enough to re-enter the line-up and the Bruins are able to suit up 12 forwards.

But there’s no doubt that in his short time with the parent club, St. Pierre has done enough to establish himself as an NHL regular. In seven games, he’s potted one goal and notched two assists while posting a plus-1 rating. He’s ably centered the fourth line flanked by Vladimir Sobotka and Shawn Thornton, and been sprinkled in for penalty killing and power play duty during his tenure. (more…)

BOSTON — After his team went through its morning skate at TD Banknorth Garden in preparation for its match-up with the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire — like most visiting coaches — was asked what he has liked about the Bruins’ play this season.

He echoed the sentiments of many of the other opposing bench bosses — commending the Bruins’ speed and skill and depth. But then I asked him what he thought of the job head coach Claude Julien, a fellow former Montreal Canadiens coach, has done. And Lemaire really started to turn on the praise. (more…)

BOSTON — Manny Fernandez was the first Boston Bruins goaltender to leave the ice after the club’s optional morning skate today at TD Banknorth Garden, so you can expect him to get the start against his former team, the Minnesota Wild, tonight.

Fernandez also faced Minnesota in the Bruins’ second game of the regular season Oct. 11 in St. Paul. He took the loss that night and let up a couple soft goals during his four-goal, 22-save performance in a 4-3 defeat. But that was the Fernandez who was still trying to find his comfort level in his return from knee surgery, not the one that’s currently won five straight starts and lost just once in regulation since that night in Minnesota.

•Defenseman Andrew Ference, who had to leave practice 10 minutes early Monday, did not skate today. I would say the best way to describe Ference’s status in his attempt to return from a broken foot is not as far ahead of schedule as he first thought.

•Defenseman Aaron Ward, who left Saturday’s game in the second period and didn’t skate the last two days, said his status is up in the air after he did skate this morning.

In describing the play where he got injured, Ward said: “I tried to hit him with my upper body and the only thing that got him was my thigh.”

BOSTON — Without injured forwards Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm, two members of the Boston Bruins’ top power play unit from the start of the season, the club went through a three-game stretch in late December where it went 0-for-12 with the man-advantage.

But with Dennis Wideman admirably filling Bergeron’s slot at one point and P.J. Axelsson holding his own up front in Sturm’s spot, the Bruins’ power play is finding the right chemistry again, and over the last three games it has clicked at a 4-for-19 clip. The power play will be of utmost importance tonight when the Bruins go head-to-head with the league-best penalty kill of the Minnesota Wild at TD Banknorth Garden. (more…)

As a member of the Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames for entirety of his NHL career before this season, Boston Bruins center Stephane Yelle has been in his share of tangles with the Minnesota Wild since they came into existence as an expansion team in the 2000-01 season.

So he knows all too well that no matter how much the personnel changes or the rules of the NHL change, the Wild under head coach Jacques Lemaire (the only coach in franchise history) play the same way — structure, tight defense, strong goaltender and … the trap. The Bruins will have their hands full with the Wild Tuesday night at TD Banknorth Garden. (more…)

If you’re still down about the Boston Bruins’ 10-game winning streak coming to an end Saturday, you can at least take a step back and look at what’s going on between the pipes in Montreal.

The Canadiens, in the absence of injury Carey Price (lower body), are relying on back-up Jaroslav Halak to hold down the fort. The result: the fort is burning. The Habs pulled out a shootout win over Florida last night, as Pat Hickey described in today’s Montreal Gazette, but Halak’s poor play has forced head coach Guy Carbonneau to hold a pow-wow with goaltending coach Rollie Melanson.

MK: What does this say about how far Marc Denis has fallen that his name hasn’t come up as far as getting a start? But more to the point, will this make Montreal panic and deal some of its prospect pool for a veteran goaltender to complement Price? Cristobal Huet might be available.

WILMINGTON — Although thebruinsblog.net proved that he cannot be passed in the race to be the Eastern Conference All-Star head coach, Boston Bruins bench boss Claude Julien declined comment on the matter today after his team’s practice at Ristuccia Arena.

“Not officially,” Julien defiantly said when asked his reaction to coaching the All-Stars. “There’s no announcement, I’m not talking about it.”

The coach is selected based on the team with the best points percentage after games of Jan. 10 and no team in the East can catch Julien and the Bruins. The game will be played in Montreal Jan. 25.

WILMINGTON — Although defenseman Aaron Ward did not practice with the Boston Bruins today at Ristuccia Arena, there was good news on the veteran from head coach Claude Julien.

“Aaron’s actually doing a lot better. It was a mild charley horse; his motion of range today was pretty good,” Julien said after his team’s one-hour practice.

The coach also added that Ward will try to take the morning skate with the club tomorrow at TD Banknorth Garden and then determine his status.

Elsewhere on the Bruins blue line, Andrew Ference — out since mid-November with a broken foot — left practice with about 10 minutes to go and did not participate in the 1-on-1 center-ice battle drill. Julien said it was just a precautionary departure and Ference is still day-to-day.

Julien also said that he’s crossed paths with Patrice Bergeron (concussion) since the center started his light biking. Julien described his own attitude about Bergeron’s return as cautiously optimistic.

“He’s feeling better and every day I talk to him it seems to be going on the positive side. I’m just a little cautious because those kind of injuries, sometimes there’s setbacks and we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves and make some big comments and then there’s a setback. Right now, all I can say is it’s going in the right direction,” Julien said.

The Bruins expect Bergeron to make himself available to the media for the first time since last month’s concussion some time over the next week or so.

WILMINGTON — The Boston Bruins are on the Ristuccia Arena ice at this hour going through the first of their practice drills without defenseman Aaron Ward.

Ward left Saturday night’s game with Buffalo in the second period with what head coach Claude Julien said after the game was a “slight charley horse.” So far, there have been no updates on the veteran blueliner. I hope to get one today.

Everyone else that’s healthy is on the ice, with the forward lines the same from Saturday (with Petteri Nokelainen mixing in the with the fourth-liners) and the D pairs feature Mark Stuart/Zdeno Chara, Matt Hunwick/Dennis Wideman, Andrew Ference/Shane Hnidy, with Matt Lashoff the extra.